Dust Alpha 0.8.1 — Tune-Up

MAJOR FIX: Hubs became unjoinable, and room codes for joining Hubs didn’t work! This patch is mostly unseen networking backend, performance, and stability work with at least one surprise.

🏟️ Arenas

• [REDACTED]
• Training Drones now auto-spawn for the first player to join any arena.
• Cavern Depths: re-enabled one-way spawn barriers and safe zones.
• Launch Facility: patched a geometry gap.
• The Hub: unblocked a door.

💥 Combat Classes

• Reworked how animations are timed so they’re framerate-independent.
• Explosions now show a blast-radius so you can actually see the danger zone: slams, mines, Seraph orbs, barrels, and more.
• Fixed explosives sometimes not registering against Thumpers.
• New electricity & flame shield visuals.
• Mines and teleport orbs now explode in team colors.

• Assassin — New experimental parkour + wall-run movement (replaces punch-to-move), with optional joystick steering and more air control. Plus experimental thrown smoke grenades.
• Reaper — Rocket thrusters now have an afterburner (replaces the old dash): a 2-second, hand-independent speed boost.
• Sparrow — Can now detonate the explosive arrow mid-air (B/Y). Slightly longer max draw and faster yeet arrow movement.
• Boulder — Heavier gravity, slower attack cooldown (1s), and rock reload bumped to 4s.
• Kobold — Weapon switch now reads a flick of the wrist (angular velocity).
• Jacket — Replaced grenade with Fire Bomb
• Seraph — Fixed projectiles punching through walls (applies to all class projectiles).

🛠️ Technical & Settings

• Performance pass: migrated core systems to a new staggered update scheduler for steadier frame times.
• Fixed: joining Hub instances with a private code, and Hub instances being unjoinable.
• Exit & Logout are now hold-to-activate.
• Screen-mode FOV slider is now hidden in VR; PC class selectors moved to the bottom of the tablet for flatscreen; improved refresh-rate/framerate handling.
• Continued dustnet networking updates, plus groundwork for a player Reporting system coming soon™.

📥 Updating

PC / PCVR players: you’ll need to install the new version from the Dust page. Quest players: you should see the update in your headset.

Still expect rough balance and bugs. Hop into our Discord to send bug reports and balancing suggestions, or just to hang out:

Join the Dust Discord